Nanotechnology and the Challenges of Equity, Equality and Development
Nanotechnology is enabling applications in materials, microelectronics, health, and agriculture, which are projected to create the next big shift in production, comparable to the industrial revolution. Such major shifts always co-evolve with social relati
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The Potential of Nanotechnology for Equitable Economic Development: The Case of Brazil Luciano Kay and Philip Shapira
Luciano Kay and Philip Shapira take a more detailed look at the consequences of Brazilian nanotechnology, using publication and patent data. Brazil is the powerhouse of Latin America in terms of research output in nanotechnology, and national policy tries hard to link that output to innovation outcomes. However, as with most Brazilian science, the regional distribution is highly uneven, and nanotechnology shows no signs of equalizing it. Kay and Shapira examine Brazil’s performance on four criteria of equitable economic development: agenda setting; R&D investment; R&D outcomes; and risk awareness and allocation. Echoing some of Invernizzi’s observations, they note that broader participation in agenda setting is low; little attention is being paid to social or environmental issues in R&D investments; commercialization may be weak since corporate engagement is low; and little attention has been given to risk. They conclude that the potential for nanotechnology to contribute to equity in Brazil is not yet being fulfilled.—eds.
L. Kay (B) School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA e-mail: [email protected] This chapter was peer reviewed. It was originally presented at the Workshop on Nanotechnology, Equity, and Equality at Arizona State University on November 22, 2008.
S.E. Cozzens, J.M. Wetmore (eds.), Nanotechnology and the Challenges of Equity, Equality and Development, Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society 2, C Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 DOI 10.1007/978-90-481-9615-9_19,
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L. Kay and P. Shapira
19.1 Introduction The links between scientific research and economic development have long been a topic of interest for science and technology (S&T) policy, particularly with regard to how research in science stimulates, transfers to, and interacts with the development of new knowledge-intensive industries and enterprises. In general, the literature finds that scientific research can be an important factor in economic and business development, although the mechanisms through which science contributes to development are many and often diffuse (Fleming and Sorenson 2004). These mechanisms may operate at different levels within and across national systems of innovation. For instance, from a macro-level perspective, it has been suggested that scientific research generates capabilities that are the base for the creation of knowledge and the development of new technologies. In turn, such capabilities may strengthen the technological performance of national systems of innovation. In other words, a positive relationship is implied between scientific capabilities and national technological performance (Van Looy et al. 2006). Universities and public research organizations are important contributors to the development of scientific and technological capabilities in different forms across countries and economic sectors (Mazzoleni and Nelson 2007). Of cou
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